Corned beef two ways for St. Paddy’s Day

Judyrae Kruse is taking some well-earned time off. Here is an encore column from March 2009.

Come Sunday, will you be all set to blow the dust off your “Danny Boy” CD and put a pot of corned beef on the stove?

So far, so good, then. But don’t forget the go-withs, certainly tatties and neeps (potatoes and turnips), and possibly some cabbage and carrots, too. Diced, sliced, halved or quartered as appropriate to each vegetable, you can add them to the pot at the proper time, about 45 minutes before the corned beef is done, and supper’s ready!

Or cook them separately, for that matter. (They’re not as good, though.)

Of course, if cabbage doesn’t really do it for you, feel free to scratch it right off the list, thereby making it possible to build this American-Irish St. Patrick’s Day dinner tradition in one fell swoop in a crockpot.

Easy, peasy, too. Delicious to the nth degree, besides. Naturally, we will use the time-honored, vastly superior corned beef recipe Everett cook Arlene Snell originally shared with us in a Jan. 23, 1988, Forum column.

(By the way, if you know what’s good for you, never deviate from Arlene’s list of ingredients or even briefly think about using some ugh, “other” recipe.)

That said, let me also say I’m taking the liberty of adding my very own conversion for crockpotting this whole-meal deal.

Remove meat from liquid. Immediately brush with corn syrup to glaze. Serve at once or cool, then wrap and chill.

To carve, slant knife and cut meat in thin slices across the grain. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Kruse crockpot conversion

4-6 medium-large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

4-6 carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

2-4 turnips, peeled and cut in thirds

1 teaspoon dill seed

1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves

6 whole cloves

1 large stick cinnamon (see note)

1 bay leaf

Cheesecloth and string

3-4 pound corned beef brisket

1 orange, unpeeled, cut with 3 or 4 deep slashes

1 large onion, peeled and halved

2 ribs celery, quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Water

Arrange potatoes, carrots and turnips on bottom of 6-quart crockpot. Turn dill seed, rosemary leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf onto a large square (leave room for expansion) of cheesecloth, gather into a bundle, tie with the string, and add to crockpot.

Put the brisket on top of the vegetables and tuck the orange, onion halves and celery quarters around the meat.

Sprinkle with the garlic and add enough water to cover. Cover crockpot and cook on low 9 to 10 hours. When done, lift meat from crockpot and slice as directed above. Arrange meat and vegetables on a warmed platter and serve immediately.